November 13, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A Sunday afternoon fire destroyed one home, heavily damaged another, and charred five acres of woodlands in the Cove Hollow Community off Dale Ridge Road.
According to Assistant Chief Anthony Boyd, the DeKalb County Fire Department was summoned to 175 Village Way to the lake home of Steven Chamberlain, who was not at home when the fire started. Chamberlain’s primary residence is in Hendersonville.
The cause of the fire is undetermined. Assistant Chief Boyd said neighbors who were inside their own homes at the time heard something and came outside to discover the fire. 911 was alerted at 3:28 p.m.
The blaze consumed the home and all contents. Heat from the fire then sparked a blaze at the neighbor lake home of Keith and Teresa Harmon at 160 Village Way. The Harmon’s were not present at the time. Their primary residence is in Murfreesboro.
Although the Harmon home was heavily damaged, the dining room and a bedroom were spared except for some smoke and water damage.
(Jim Beshearse video)
Members of the DeKalb Fire Department’s Main station, Liberty, Temperance Hall, and Cookeville Highway Stations responded along with a tanker, brush truck, the rehab team, and the Alexandria Fire Department who provided mutual aid. DeKalb EMS and the Sheriff’s Department were also on the scene.
(Jim Beshearse video)
The Tennessee Department of Forestry brought the woodland fire under the control.
A firefighter suffered an injury when he fell through the porch of the Harmon home while fighting the fire. He was taken by DeKalb EMS to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital where he was treated and released.